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Common cold
How to relieve a cold headache without medicine
Firstly, you should drink more water to promote metabolism and eat more fresh vegetables and fruits to help restore bodily functions. Avoid eating spicy food such as chili peppers and reduce meat consumption. Measure body temperature, you can massage the temples, or drink more ginger sugar water, which can help relieve headaches. If the body temperature rises, you can use warm water to wipe the palms, soles of the feet, neck, and chest. At the same time, apply a cool towel or ice pack to the forehead. Once the temperature normalizes, the symptoms of cold and headache will gradually improve; there is no need to worry too much.
Is it good to run and sweat when you have a cold caused by wind-cold?
Patients with a cold caused by exposure to cold and wind are advised to rest as much as possible and avoid running and sweating, as this could lead to catching a chill and potentially worsening the cold. If you are indoors, running and sweating can be okay, but make sure not to expose yourself to drafts afterwards. It's best to sit down and rest to ease the sweating before resuming activities. If the condition is severe, medication can be taken for effective improvement. Also, avoid consuming stimulating, greasy, or cold foods in your diet; instead, drink plenty of water and urinate frequently to help effectively improve your condition.
What is the difference between a hot cold and a cool cold?
Cold from the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine is classified into two types: Wind-Heat Cold and Wind-Cold Cold. A Wind-Heat Cold may present symptoms such as coughing, coughing up yellow phlegm, yellow nasal discharge, sore throat, and fever. In contrast, a Wind-Cold Cold typically manifests as clear nasal discharge, dry cough or coughing up white phlegm, along with aversion to cold, headache, muscle soreness, and possibly a mild fever. Clinically, Wind-Cold Cold and Wind-Heat Cold are distinct and should be diagnosed under the guidance of a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner who can prescribe specific herbal treatments based on the patient’s symptoms. From a Western medicine perspective, symptomatic treatment is generally recommended. However, it is crucial to assess if the patient exhibits symptoms such as purulent phlegm, high fever, or persistently unimproved cold symptoms, which may indicate the need for a hospital visit to investigate potential bacterial infections that might require antimicrobial treatments.
Can I eat beef when I have a cold?
If you have a cold and are in the initial stage of the illness, it is best not to eat beef. However, during the recovery phase, it is appropriate to consume some beef. As beef is a warming and nourishing food rich in protein, trace elements, and other nutrients, it can fulfill the body's various nutritional needs. Eating beef can enhance one’s resistance and aid in quicker recovery from the illness. It is also recommended to eat beef in moderation and not consume too much at once, as excessive intake can lead to gastrointestinal discomfort and potentially burden the digestive system, causing symptoms of indigestion. It is advisable to drink appropriate amounts of water to boost metabolism and improve resistance. Additionally, during a cold, it is important to rest adequately, avoid overexertion, and maintain a light diet.
What should I do if I have a cold and vomiting in the summer?
In summer, patients may catch a cold due to carelessness, especially when the body's immune function is compromised. Colds, varying in type, also differ in accompanying clinical symptoms. For instance, summer cold patients might experience not only fever, nasal congestion, runny nose, and sneezing but also nausea and vomiting, suggesting the presence of a gastrointestinal-type cold. To address this, it is crucial first to identify the vomiting symptoms accompanying the cold. A gastrointestinal cold is mostly caused by viral infections, so it is necessary to administer antiviral and heat-clearing detoxifying medications promptly for symptomatic treatment. Once the symptoms of the upper respiratory tract are effectively controlled, the vomiting will similarly subside. Of course, patients with gastrointestinal colds must hydrate promptly and consume light, easily digestible, and nutritious food.
Can scraping (gua sha) treat a cold?
Gua Sha is one of the methods used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for treating and preventing diseases. It is often performed on the Bladder Meridian of Foot-Taiyang, which is located on the back of the human body. The Bladder Meridian of Foot-Taiyang is superficial and acts as the first line of defense when external pathogens invade the body. By scraping the Bladder Meridian of Foot-Taiyang, it stimulates the meridians and channels, enhances the body's immunity, and promotes the expulsion of pathogenic factors by strengthening the body’s vital energy. According to TCM, "when the vital energy is preserved within, pathogens cannot interfere." Therefore, scraping the Bladder Meridian of Foot-Taiyang can help in treating and preventing the common cold.
What should a baby eat when they have a cold?
Firstly, the diet should be light, such as offering white rice porridge, mung bean porridge, and red bean porridge, all of which can be consumed. The main point is to consume easily digestible foods. At the same time, you can also eat some fruits, such as apples, bananas, dragon fruit, and watermelon, which are still acceptable to eat. You should avoid spicy, greasy, and irritating foods, as they are not conducive to the recovery of the condition.
Can you drink alcohol when you have a cold?
A cold, also commonly referred to as an upper respiratory tract infection, can be classified based on the type of infecting virus into common cold and influenza. Regardless of the type, patients typically experience various symptoms following the virus infection such as fever, nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, coughing, and an itchy throat. For patients exhibiting these symptoms, it is generally recommended in clinical practice to drink plenty of water and avoid overly greasy foods. Certainly, consumption of alcohol and spicy foods like chili peppers should be avoided. Similarly, it is advised not to consume cold-natured foods during a cold, hence drinking alcohol is discouraged while sick.
Is the common cold in autumn a wind-heat cold or a wind-cold cold?
In autumn, the temperature difference between day and night increases, and the weather also becomes drier, which leads to the anticipated arrival of colds. If the cold is accompanied by clear nasal discharge and symptoms like sneezing, then it is classified as a cold caused by wind-cold. If during the cold, thick yellow nasal discharge occurs, along with a hoarse voice and sore throat, these symptoms can be identified as a wind-heat cold. After catching a cold, it is important to keep warm to avoid catching cold again, eat more fruits and vegetables, improve physical fitness, and enhance immunity.
Can you eat watermelon if you have a cold from catching a chill?
In clinical practice, there are cases of colds classified as "hot" or "cold" types. Even patients suffering from a "hot" type cold can experience nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, and fever when they catch a chill. For some patients who catch a cold in summer due to being chilled, it is appropriate to eat some watermelon, as watermelon is a cooling fruit. It can somewhat relieve the heat for patients suffering from a "hot" type cold. Therefore, for patients experiencing nasal congestion, sore throat, or even coughing due to a "hot" type cold, eating watermelon can help adjust and soothe, although it is not recommended to eat frozen watermelon.